Otaku Culture

Our Bento Friday comes with some last moment ideas! Create kawaii Xmas bento boxes and make everyone happy! We know that this is a challenging time because preparations are taking lots of time, but maybe we can take some of that time to create one of these incredibly cute bento boxes! Let’s start with a Rilakkuma bento box! Rilakkuma is an easy character to use for bento boxes. Consider him for rice balls and also for sweets.

Let’s discover the rest of ideas!

What about some sausage “ginger bread cookies” as a bento box? This is a super easy bento box: you need sausages (or spam meat), mayonnaise and cheese. Of course, never forget the rice.

You can also choose a Nightmare Before Xmas for Xmas. It’s weird, but it’s a different way to decorate your bentos for Xmas.

What about a simple Santa onigiri? Creating simple rice balls is great for beginners. And decorating them is also super easy.

And finally Rudolf and Santa. This is a perfect bento for Xmas. It’s a little more difficult than the others, but it’s still pretty easy.

Lawson is to release a Teriyaki Chicken Karaage-kun and Nikuman to celebrate the New Year, the year of the rooster. You’ll be able to eat it from December 31st to celebrate the year of the Rooster. It’s delicious and nice. Plus there will be lots of commemorative products as well in collaboration with Dragon Quest.

But beware, the Teriyaki Chicken Nikuman is going to be available for a limited time only. If you’re in Japan during the Winter Holidays, you must taste it.

These Rooster Nikumans are super cute too!

The Teriyaki Chicken is seasoned sweetly. The Nikuman is seasoned too with Chinese ingredients. The Teriyaki feeling makes of this a delicacy. Plus the design of the roosters is cute.

Each Nikuman will sell for 194 yen excluding tax. It’s limited to 400,000 units. So, if you are in Japan, try to get yours before they all run out.

Source: Entabe
Images source: Entabe

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Village Vanguard has a Green Slime Curry that is as disturbing as delicious. One meal has 180 grams of goodness. It sells for 1080 yen tax included, and it’s the slimiest curry around. Although this Green Slime Curry makes the perfect companion for Halloween nights, the truth is that it can be enjoyed all year round. The Green Slime Curry contains onions, potatoes, vegetables, garlic, chicken meat and coconut milk. It’s tasty and slightly aggressive.

How to prepare the slime? Easy! Put it in hot water without cutting anything. Then, transfer it into a heat-resistant container. Wrap it, warm it up and then add the rice to complete it. It’s easy, slimy and amazing!

Village Vanguard also had Red Slime Curry and Blue Slime Curry, but these are sold out already. This green version might be the best, though, since it makes you remember the Slimy Ghost from Ghostbusters.

Source: Entabe
Images source: Entabe

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There’s a new official Ramen character for Baby Star Ramen. Bee-Chan retires. It’s the third character generation. It has appeared on December 20th. It’s a boy who is proud of his shop. He loves music and dancing, and eats Baby Star Ramen when he’s hungry. However, he hasn’t have a name. That’s why there’s a campaign until January 9, 2017. The winner will get 1 million yen (there will be a lottery). There’s another price: 360 Ramen meals, meals for a year. A maximum of 100 people will be the winners (also by lottery).

The winner name will be announced in the “Baby Star Character Name Ceremony” next January 31, 2017.

New baby star is seeking for a true name. He loves delicious ramen. He’s funny and amazing, and loves dancing. When he is bored, or when he is depressed he looks miserable. But, eating delicious ramen makes him happy. Baby Star needs to keep happy with names, and in exchange you can have a delicious year full of Ramen.

What do you think about this character? What name would you give to him?

Source: Entabe
Images source: Entabe

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Custom Blythe dolls make great collectibles, like this amazing Harry Potter custom Blythe. She is amazing. If you’re a Potterhead and love custom Blythe dolls, this is your opportunity to get your hands on a real treasure. This custom Blythe is magical, and it will become a great add in your collection bringing all the magic from the Harry Potter world.

Let’s find more about her here!

The face is very sweet. It has been finished with an airbrush and Matt spray. The lips are lovely carved and shaped. They have a pink gradation. The makeup is made with beige pink, red pink and purple gradients. Eye shadows are amazing and the whole feeling of a doll being coquette. The eyebrows have been carefully painted one by one in a fine way. She has also a delicate gaze.

The hairstyle is also super cute. The hair is cut short and has a carrot orange wig. She has an unusual hair color that makes her more magical. The eyes are also very sweet. The front eyes are pruple, the other front eyes are black. The right eyes are mint green and the left eyes are brown.

The outfit set contains a knitted scarf and hat with the colors of the Potter uniform. The cloak is an official costume made by Mattel and has the emblem. The set also includes a blouse, a skirt, a vest, a cloak, a pair of socks, loafers, a muffler, a knitted hat, glasses, a magic wand, a book. The other items appearing on the picture are not included in the set.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get your hands on this magical custom Blythe doll!

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Get your cups and Santa hats for Rinkya 2016 Holiday Special! Come here near the crackling fire place under the shade of the great tree and sit a while and listen! Holidays truly are a special time of the year. A time to reminisce, a time to be reminded of what is truly important- our families and the ones closest to us. May we never take them for granted. So, go! Celebrate and love. And if you want to make this time a tad merrier, here are some suggestion from our gift bag of figures that were released during this year.

5. Nendoroid Shoyo Hinata Figure

“It’s painful. I want to stop. When I feel that way, I take a step forwards.”
From Good Smile Company, we get an amazing new Nendoroid figure based on Haikyuu. the hit volleyball series that has seized the hearts of the fans from the first episode and hasn’t let go since. Karasuno High’s ultimate decoy Shouyou “Shrimp” Hinata, is the character that the Good Smile Company choose to immortalize in figure form. Hinata was sculpted by Shichibee and Nendoron and was released into the world in January 2016. The 10 cm (3.9 inches) tall, ATBC-PVC and ABS figure comes with plethora additions. Firstly, Hinata comes with a volleyball and a net so he can step onto the court whenever you wish it! The Shrimp comes with three different facial expressions: a confident, a cheerful and smiling and a super excited expression. If that is not enough for you he comes with base that resembles a volleyball court! This figure can be yours for about 10,850 yen (~92 US dollars).

4. Steins Gate Kotobukiya Kurisu Makise 1/8 Figure

The beloved tsundere, Kurisu Makise from Steins Gate got an awesome figure from Kotobukiya! Released in January 2016, this figure of Makise was sculpted by the M.I.C. The figure’s unique look was based on the illustration from the cover of the Steins Gate visual novel. The before mentioned illustration has been brought to life with a real commitment to details- just look at that base that consists ofthe levitating gears on which Makise sits. We have to say that the base looks just absolutely stunning and makes this figure truly unique. You will have to put a little work in assembling the base but the end result is definitely worth all the effort. Every part of this figure, from the faithful and detailed face to the natural looking clothing, just screams high quality. This beauty is a 1/8, 24 cm (9.36 inches) tall pre-painted figure made from PVC and it can be yours for only about 13,445 yen (~114 US dollars).

3. Prison School Union Creative Hdge Hana Midorikawa Figure

From Union Creative comes one of kind, sexy and mesmerizing figure of Prison School’s Hana Midorikawa, based on the illustration done by Akira Hiramoto. Released in October 2016 this Hana figure is a part of Creative Union’s acclaimed Hdge line. The figure depicts embarrassed Hana, the secretary of the Underground Student Council, having some pesky wardrobe troubles. Hana is a 23 cm (8.97 inches) ATBC-PVC figure with some ABS parts. The colors for this alluring figure were done by Monoris while the sculpting was done by Keita Kawai. You can own Hana’s figure for about 16,685 yen (~143 US dollars).

2. Love Live! Ayase Eli Birthday Project 1/8 Figure

From the joint effort of Dangeki and Stronger we get a super cute figure of Ayase Eli from Love Live!. This is special birthday version of Ayase Eli that was released in February 2016 for the Wonder Festival 2016 (Winter). The figure carefully threads the line between innocence and seductiveness with its use of the baby blue color palate and Eli’s playful pose. Miyajima Katsuyoshi and Sakaki Kaoru did a masterful job with this figure which can be seen in all the intricate details the figure possesses. The Eli figure is 18 cm (7 inches) tall and made from the mix of ABS and PVC. Own it for only about 20,520 yen (~174 US dollars).

1. Durarara!! Medicom Toy Celty Sturluson 1/8 Figure

Durarara’s black rider takes our number one spot. There are a number of Celty’s figures out there but few are as good as this Medicom Toy’s RAH line figure! Released in March 2016 this Celty figure stands 30 cm (11.7 inches) tall. The PVC and ABS figure was sculpted by PERFECT STUDIOS and it even comes with clothing made from real fabric. The figure comes with a cellphone, a removable helmet, latex suit and Celty’s scythe. With this fully poseable figure you will be able to recreate all of your favorite Celty moment whenever you wish it! Own this mesmerizing Celty figure for only about 27,750 yen (~274 US dollars).

There you go friends, we hope you found some figures for you or your loved ones. Thank you for all of your support over these years, we will continue to do our best moving forward. Happy holidays to everyone!

This Bento Friday comes with more Xmas cute bento box ideas from the hands of Bento Days. We start with a super cute Santa Baymax, inspired by a pushie at the Disney Store in Japan. Baymax is a simple character to choose when making rice bentos, specially onigiri (rice ball) bentos. Choose him as Santa! He’s super cute!

Let’s take a look at the rest of ideas together!

What about a snowman and Rudolph pancakes for Xmas breakfast? Breakfasts can be amazing when you make cute characters. Starting the day properly doesn’t only mean to eat properly, but to do it with high spirits.

What about some Rilakkuma cakes for breakfast? You can either buy them, or do them with a mold. You only need chocolate pen/ brush to create their faces. You can fill them with chocolate or with custard (or with fruits).

Never forget drinks! If you’re going to take some coffee after your bento, do it with a Gudetama sugar cube. You can buy them in Japan (so if you want some, just contact us).

What ideas are you going to use during this Xmas? What kawaii bentos are you planning to cook?

Source: Bento Days
Images Source: Bento Days

The post Bento Friday: More Xmas Cute Bento Box Ideas appeared first on A Rinkya Blog.

December’s taste comes from the hands of Kirin Beer with their Kirin Chuhai BitterS Yuzu Season. Yuzu is like a small mandarine, perfect for Xmas. It’s bitter taste along with alcohol it’s perfect for winter. Yuzu is one of winter’s special foods in Japan. They’re fresh, delicious, and can be easily found in Japan.

Warm and relaxing, Yuzu makes the perfect fruit for Xmas. Many people use them for bathing as well, because it gives great perfume to the water.

To have a perfect yuzu bathtub you need to cut the yuzu and wrap them in a net or a gauze. Depending on the size of the bathtub, you can put more yuzu in the net. You cut them in slices.

For drinking, you can put cut yuzu in a sealed bag, and dope it with a little bit of sugar, salt and vinegar. Put it in the refrigerator for two or three days and then just eat it. It’s delicious! Eat them along your favorite Kirin Chuhai and you’re bound to enjoy greatly.

Yuzu radish is a popular snack to be enjoyed relaxing along with a drink. It has refreshing scent of citrus, and that’s why it’s perfect for Kirin Chuhai BitterS.

You can find different flavors for Kirin Chuhai. Kirin also offers Yuzu the game as a campaign for Kirin Chuhai BitterS. You need to search for fruits, and put them in line. Even if it seems simple, it’s not.

If you’re in Japan, don’t miss this opportunity to taste Yuzu. Also, if you want to enjoy Chuhai, remember that Rinkya sends virtually anything from Japan worldwide. Contact us for more information.

Source: Entabe
Images source: Entabe

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Your Name Is opens in Ikebukuro Parco and Nagoya Parco for a limited time. The collaboration is between Your Name Is and Parco. You can enjoy this form January 7 in Ikebukuro Parco, and January 27 Nagoya Parco. There’s a limited menu with Your Name Is motives.

Let’s take a closer look at it!

The menu starts with a Lake Pan Stew. The stew has a cup looks like a lake forest, and the vegetables are reminiscent of nature. It costs 1480 excluding tax.

Yoshino Ramen is a reproduction of Ramen Yoshine (Taki, Okuji senpai and Tsuji). It also includes the onigiri the shopkeeper made to Taki. It costs 1180 yen excluding tax.

Tachibana Family and Miyaizu Family is the reproduced the breakfast that Taki and Miba ate respectively. It costs 1280 yen excluding tax.

Then there’s the comet plate. It’s a desserts dish that imagines the comet that Taki and Miba looked. The large comet is a mousse, broken with ice. It costs 1280 yen excluding tax.

There are also pancakes. Taki usually goes with Tsuki and Takagi to a café. The price is 1480 yen excluding tax.

There’s also a Matcha parfait, as a representation of a Japanese shrine. In the center there are decorations making “big trees and megaliths.” It costs 1080 yen excluding tax.

There’s also a Who Are You? HOT LATTE. Inspired in a café where Taki wrote his notebook in Your Name Is. The price is 680 yen excluding tax.

There’s also a Night Sky Soda. It’s a drink made to resemble the night sky with jelly. It’s refreshing and amazing. It costs 930 yen excluding tax.

The Taki/Miyaba Soda is nice. It costs 730 yen excluding tax.

There are about 120 types of goods as part of the collaboration, from stationery to kitchen goods. Stationery includes clear files and magnets, etc. Kitchen goods include mugs, dishes, candy crunch, pasta cakes, cookies, etc.

In addition to Ikebukuro and Nagoya Parco, Sendai, Osaka, Hiroshima and Fukuoka said that would sell limited goods in special Your Name Is shops.

The collaboration café outline is as follows:
Ikebukuro Parco Main Building 7F · THE GUEST cafe & diner
Time: January 7 to February 7
Opening hours: 10am to 22pm

Tokyo’s Harajuku Station will be rebuilt for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. East Japan Railway Company has released images of the new design for Harajuku Station. It’s a three stations plan. The mythical Harajuku Station that we all know is about to disappear. The new station looks from the future, but the appeal of the one we can enjoy now will be lost forever. The new station will be completed by 2020 and will cost around US$2.3 billion.

The number of passengers that the station will need to go through the station during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is going to increase dramatically. The new station will solve the problems that the current station has with the narrow walkways.

The new station will be modern, with a building of two-stores. There will be new tracks, and a new entrance for the Meiji Jingu will also be built. The Sendagaya Station will also have a new look. It’s located near the National Stadium and the Tokyo Gymnasium.

The ticket gates will also be relocated, plus more elevators and other amenities will be aded to the station complex.

Despite all the modern new features of Harajuku Station, the original one built in 1024 is going to be missed heavily. It’s original facade and atmosphere will be gone forever. We’re sad to see Harajuku Station go. What about you!?

Source: Rocket News24, JR

Images source: Rocket News24, JR

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Custom Blythe dolls are great collectibles. This week we have this kawaii Hinaboo custom Blythe for you. She has a natural look, sweet feeling and gorgeous carved face. The makeup is also natural and makes her be so alive. The base doll is a Culver City Dean. Don’t miss her! She is available for bidding for a very short time only.

The artist cut short the original hair and covered it with a wig. You can exchange it for your favorite wig. The artist also carved the nose, mouth and chin and finished it polishing it carefully with a sponge.

The new makeup is made with pastels. The artist coated the face with several layers of UV Mat Spray. The lips are finished with lip gloss. She also has human-like eyelashes to make her more human. The doll has sleepy eyes.

The eyes are super cute too. The front eyes are blue (made by the artist), and brown. The right eyes are brownish (made by the artist), and the left eyes are default green.

The set contents are: the doll, the stand, the wig, the clothes (minus the boots, the boots aren’t part of the clothing set). Other items that appear in the shooting aren’t part of the set.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get this amazing Hinaboo custom Blythe doll. She is too cute!

The post Custom Blythe Dolls: Hinaboo Custom Blythe appeared first on A Rinkya Blog.

Custom Blythe Dolls make great collectibles, like this Raindrop custom Blythe. She is super cute, and has a gorgeous face. She has her default hair with bangs cut. She comes with a fantastic dress set. She’ll make a great add into your custom Blythe doll collection. Don’t miss her! She’s only available for bidding for a very short time!

Let’s take a closer look at her!

Her face is sweet, with well carved eyes, nose and lips. The artist dropped the original makeup and created a new one with pastels. Then, Raindrop coated the face several times with spray to protect the makeup. Be gentle, and don’t rub the face with your nails or you could damage it.

The eyes are simple but compelling: the front eyes are brown, the right eyes are gray, and the rest are default eyes. The body has the default body. The outfit set includes a hat, a cape, a sweater, a skirt, an inner skirt, and socks. Other items appearing in the pictures are not included in the set.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get this cute custom Blythe doll!

The post Custom Blythe Dolls: Raindrop Custom Blythe appeared first on A Rinkya Blog.

Our Bento Friday comes with lots of Xmas bento box ideas. We start with some Santa boiled eggs. You need to slice the boiled eggs. Then you need to create their faces with beards and hats with cheese and crab stick meat. You can fix everything with pasta. To finish it up you can use ketchup.

Let’s take a look at the other cute Xmas bento box ideas!

What about a Xmas Anpanman bento? You need boiled rice, and give it a color mixing noodle soup. Then you create a rice ball and shape it as Anpanman’s face. The hat is also made with rice, you can use crab stick meat to decorate it. You can create the face decorations with sausages and cheese.

What about a Xmas lunch box? It has a Santa, a Rudolf and a Snowman! Create them with rice and decorate them with cheese.

What about Olaf!? You can create him with boiled rice, creating a rice ball. Cut a baked red wiener in half, cut the cheese and make the hat. You can make his face with cheese too. You can put small carrots as his nose.

Rudolf hugging a Snowman is also a super cute idea for a bento box. You need boiled rice, cheese and red crab meat. Be careful when you create the shapes with the rice since it can be tricky.

What of these ideas will you make during Xmas?

Source: Cookpad
Images source: Cookpad

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The Kirin Tanrei Green Label Asoberu Design Limited Can is here! This limited edition of Kirin Beer’s “Happy Sake” Tanrei Green Lavel is on sale since December 6. There is a 2D QR code hidden in the Nordic style design, so that you can enjoy special content online such as manga and games.

The online contents includes original manga “Manga Midori,” a Haneko game and a musical video. The Manga Midori can have different endings depending on the number of people that reads it. The Haneko game can be played by 4 different players on a smartphone. And the music video is from “4 GREEN HAGOITA.”

In addition, there’s also a Tanrei Green Lavel Promo sweater for the campaign. When you buy a can pack of 6 or 24 you get a card to play. 2000 people will get the sweater. The entry deadline is February 6, 2017.day.

Plus, a 2D barcode is knitted on the sweater, just like the nordic design on the can. And it seems that you also get special contents for the winners to discover through the 2D barcode.

This Xmas, drink Kirin and get your hands on all these special goodies! It’s fun, fashionable and has extra surprises!

Source: Entabe
Images source: Entabe

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What about a LoveLive! Sunshine Ice Bar for Xmas!? You can find them at 7-Eleven all over Japan. This new release can be found from December 6 onwards, for only 130 yen excluding tax. This ice bar has mikan & vanilla flavor and is wrapped in crispy and refreshing oranges taste from a sherbet. This is a great collaboration you can find easily thanks to bandai candy.

Each ice bar comes with a sticker as a price. There are 30 different designs (20 different pictures and 10 foil versions).

The ice bars come with three different types of wrapping. You can choose a different one each time you eat a LoveLive! ice bar.

These will be around for a while. So, if you’re in Japan take the chance to get your hands on one of these wonderful ice bars!

Source: Entabe
Images source: Entabe

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